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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. key — in music
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. press — newspapers
  6. content — happy
  7. field — a subject
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. content — the amount
  10. court — of a king
  11. dip — to sink
  12. court — of law
  13. court — for sport
  14. key — for a lock
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. hand — help
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. press — a publisher
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. hand — in cards
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. key — the most important part
  23. press — to push
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com